The Jewish Cemetery in Ohlsdorf was opened on 30 September 1883. It
reaches across eleven hectares and covers approx. 18,000 graves. In
addition, it is the only cemetery in Hamburg, where is still buried
according to Jewish rituals.

In June 1937 the jewish cemetery at the Grindelquarter was completely
removed by the Nazis. Under the conduct of chief rabbi Dr. Carlebach
only 200 stones could be transferred to Ohlsdorf and about 175
gravestones from the cemetery Ottensen in 1939 and 1941 .

The burial ground of the Sephardi Jews (so called Portuguese Cemetary)
are rather special. The Jews who had been expelled from Portugal and
Spain around 1490 took their burial tradition along with them when
immigrating to Hamburg: tombs, grave stones laying flat on the ground
and stones in a sarcophagic style.

A memorial for the victims of the holocaust opposite the ceremony
commemorates the 190000 German and over 5 Million murdered European jews
. A single detached urn contains soil and ash from the Auschwitz
concentration camp.The memorial wall behind shows the shield of David,
dates and a quote from Jeremia 8,23 "...that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people"

Close to the exit on the left is the burial site in honor of the
deceased jewish soldiers of the 1st World War (1914-1918) with an
obelisk in its centre. 85 bodies were transfered to Hamburg to be buried
here next to two long steles which commemorate the names of 1000
deceased jewish soldiers.